Actor Leonardo DiCaprio made a secret appearance before a grand jury recently to testify as part of the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) investigation into 1MDB, reported the Washington Post.
According to sources close to the case, grand jury proceedings are secret, so it was unclear what DiCaprio told grand jurors and how authorities got him into and out of the federal courthouse without drawing attention.
The report added that prosecutors consider DiCaprio a witness who can provide useful information about Jho Low.
DiCaprio is, however, not a target of the investigation.
DiCaprio’s spokesman has in the past said the actor was cooperating with the probe and was “entirely supportive of all efforts to assure that justice is done in this matter.”
DiCaprio was among Hollywood A-listers that Low was reportedly friends with and who he had lavished with expensive gifts and parties.
He and DiCaprio were introduced, prosecutors have said, by Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, the stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.
Prosecutors have alleged in court papers that Low cosied up to DiCaprio, allowing the actor to gamble on his tab at the Venetian casino in Las Vegas.
The star was presented with Marlon Brando’s best actor Oscar statuette for 1954 film, On the Waterfront, for his birthday and a US$3.2 million (RM13.19 million) Picasso painting, which he is surrendering to US authorities after the scandal broke.
Money, allegedly stolen from 1MDB, was also used to fund DiCaprio’s 2013 blockbuster, The Wolf of Wall Street, through US production firm Red Granite, which was co-founded by Riza.
DiCaprio had thanked Low by name when he accepted the Golden Globe for his role in the film.
The Washington Post also reported that former Fugees rapper Prakazrel ‘pras’ Michel was involved in setting up accounts to help fund Low’s lobbying effort to end the probe and that Michel had hired the owner of an investment firm to press the case with the Trump administration.
People familiar with the case said the investment firm owner was Elliott Broidy, a veteran Republican fundraiser who helped corral big donors to support Trump’s campaign.
It said Michel has denied wrongdoing and that according to prosecutors, the lobbying was unsuccessful.
Neither Broidy nor Michel has been charged with any crimes, though people familiar with the case said investigators are still exploring whether they violated any laws.
The lobbying effort, prosecutors said, was ultimately unsuccessful.